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East Morton concert pianist John Briggs jailed for eight years for sexually abusing boys

World renowned concert pianist John Briggs has been jailed for eight years for sexually abusing five boys over a period of almost 25 years.

Briggs, 65, sat impassively in the dock at Bradford Crown as the judge told him he had abused his position of trust as a piano teacher and as president of Keighley Sea Cadets to groom and assault his vulnerable victims.

Briggs, of Little Lane, East Morton, was this afternoon convicted by a jury of nine offences of indecent assault on a male person. He was cleared of a tenth allegation of indecency with a child.

The jury was first sent to consider its verdicts at 3.15pm yesterday and returned their unanimous verdicts at 2.20pm today.

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC said Briggs had caused “an extremely high degree of harm” when he sexually abused two young piano students and three members of Keighley Sea Cadets His youngest victim was just ten when he began assaulting him. The offences spanned a period from 1969 to 1993.